Boss TU-88 Micro-Monitor/Tuner/Metronome

Malak the Mad

Malak the Mad

Over the River and through the Looking Glass
Supporting Member
Oct 20, 2012
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#1
A fellow TB'er made reference to this as a multi-function headphone amp, tuner and metronome that runs off a single, 9-volt battery.
Sadly, it has since been discontinued. But, after a little bit of searching, I found this eBay listing…
As of a couple months ago, these refurbished units were being sold for $39.99, which was a pretty good price for something so darn useful, so I grabbed one. Since then, the price has dropped further to $28.00. I figured having a backup would be a good idea, so I purchased another.

And if you're wondering, outside of purchasing the two units, I have no other association with the seller. I'm just a satisfied customer sharing a hot deal.

I did have to scrub some schmutz off the shiny plastic parts with a moist monitor/cell-phone cleaning cloth, but with a little work it finally came off. Now, both look practically brand-new and are in perfect working condition.

After some use, I can gladly say this item is pretty cool. :thumbsup: My only gripe, and it's a minor one, is the auto-shutoff. If I'm just using it as a monitor/headphone amp, it will eventually shut itself off after some time. I haven't timed it, but I think it's somewhere in the 20-30 minute range. To keep it running, I just cycle the tuner or metronome every now n' then and all is good.

Cheers, y'all! :)
 
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#2
Cool little tool for on the road. Just bought one! I usually bring a small suitcase with my small mixer, big headphones, cables and a tuner, to use along with my laptop.. but for short weekend trips, it's a hassle. This can live in my gig bag, and it's like it's not even there. Thanks for the heads up!
 
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#3
LHbassist said:
Cool little tool for on the road. Just bought one! I usually bring a small suitcase with my small mixer, big headphones, cables and a tuner, to use along with my laptop.. but for short weekend trips, it's a hassle. This can live in my gig bag, and it's like it's not even there. Thanks for the heads up!
Click to expand...
You got me thinking about it's rather discreet size, so I pulled out a ruler to get it's physical specs. It measures 5.5" wide, a dot over 3" long and a bit over 1" high. Also, here's the websites product manual…

https://static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/TU-88_ejgfispd2.pdf
 
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#4
How does the headphone output sound?
I don't need another tuner or metronome but a decent headphone amp for under $100?
Do they even exist?
 
#6
hypercarrots said:
dimensions from the ebay link
  • Width: 5-9/16" (140 mm)
  • Depth: 3-3/16" (80 mm)
  • Height: 1-3/16" (30 mm)
  • Weight: 0 lb. 7 oz. (0.2 kg)
does it auto shut off even when plugged in (not using batteries)?
Click to expand...
Probably. I took a closer look at the users manual pdf and there's a way to defeat the auto-power-off which resets once you turn it off.
 
#8
Oh, one other thing…get a fresh 9-volt battery! The no-name battery that comes with the unit is pretty much DOA:dead:, probably due to sitting around for the past five to ten years. (I just checked the website's support documents and this lil' bugger dates as far back as 2009.)
 
#9
Malak the Mad said:
Pretty not-bad-at-all. Then again, I'm using a pair of decent, but not waaaaay overpriced, Audio-Technica headphones, so there's that. :headphone:
Click to expand...
Cool; I'm using Sony MDR 7506. Probably not as good as yours but not bad either.
So not too hissy, decent dynamic range, gets loud enough?
 
#10
Jim C said:
Cool; I'm using Sony MDR 7506. Probably not as good as yours but not bad either.
So not too hissy, decent dynamic range, gets loud enough?
Click to expand...
I'd say those Sony headphones are probably as good, if not better. Then again, I tend to stay away from any headphones that cost more than $100. However, I've had some really good Sonys that cost $50 or less, so I'm just gonna assume yours are a step or two up from those. ;)

(Side note: I've been on a decades-long quest to find inexpensive headphones that kick ass. Some Sonys are quite good, especially their $25-or-less earbuds. Sennheiser used to make a fantastic neckband headphones, but I recently discovered Audio-Technica's excellent products, both wired and wireless. It also helps that Guitar Center's 15%-off coupons can usually be applied to that brand. :greedy:)

As for the TU-88, I usually keep it's volume dial around the 3 o'clock position. I start hearing a teensy-tiny amount of hiss, but that's drowned out when I'm playing, even more so when I'm piping in some music to play along with. When I'm noodling along to music, it's just a matter of tweaking the TU-88's output against the incoming volume of the respective song

I'd say the dynamic range is slightly tilted to favor six-stringers. The bass could be a bit richer, but that's a minor gripe for me. I have no problem hearing exactly what I'm playing, as well as the music I'm playing against. All I have to do is get the music's input to a comfortable level, add in my bass guitar to achieve a workable mix inside my headphones and then go to town.
 
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#11
Thanks very much for this!

This sounds like a higher quality unit than the Amplug or its' variants that I have tried.
I keep thinking that if I had a decent sounding headphone amp I'd use it more and it's too much trouble to be teathered to an amp.

The Sony 7506's became sort of a studio standard. Really durable, can take volume, reasonably neutral and good for both sides of the glass $80.
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506...&qid=1551019595&sr=8-2&keywords=Sony+mdr+7605

I also have a previous model that has slightly more bass response
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDRV6-S...F8&qid=1551019930&sr=8-3&keywords=Sony+mdr+V6
 
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#12
#13
Well, I received mine, and it was defective. The front looked like it had some tape residue/ now an embedded part of the clear plastic... on it.. and it was not removable.. pretty minor. Plugged it in. A weird tremolo effect in all settings. I got an RA, and sent it back. The seller was cool, and will replace it. For 28 bucks...hmm, another 6 to ship it. The thing is, this DOES look like it will be a pretty neat little practice tool.
I'll report on the new one when I test it.
 
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#14
O.K. Firstly, Alto Music, is WAY cool. I shipped it back, and it was supposed to be there Monday. I don't know if they received it yet- but here it is, Tuesday, and I have a replacement!
I made a mistake with the first unit. I did not try a new battery, I used the one sent with the unit. 'Motorboat'- 'tremolo' effect in all volume settings. Well, before I tried the replacement unit- I put the battery on a volt meter. 9.53 volts. Should be o.k., right? I installed it, and ran the unit. Nope. The unit made the SAME weird noises. And I decided to see if perhaps it would run o.k. with a 9v Boss power adapter. It does. No issues. So, maybe I need an alkaline battery for it.. but it should be noted, for anyone wanting one, that the battery may not be viable to power it.
Now, to the review. This thing sounds GREAT! I used a Boss GEB-7 EQ, and both my Gibson Thunderbird with EMG's, and my upright with a Fishman Full Circle and an Underwood pickup. The input mix can only be controlled from the source- like your computer's speaker volume control. Once it's all set, it seems like this may be my new go-to practice tool. And for the road, it's perfect. I'll pick up a good Alkaline battery to see how it does with one.
For now, it is a positive review. For $28.00, it's unbeatable.
 
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#15
LHbassist said:
So, maybe I need an alkaline battery for it.. but it should be noted, for anyone wanting one, that the battery may not be viable to power it.
Click to expand...
Both of mine are using generic, 9-volt alkaline batteries without issue.

LHbassist said:
Now, to the review. This thing sounds GREAT! I used a Boss GEB-7 EQ, and both my Gibson Thunderbird with EMG's, and my upright with a Fishman Full Circle and an Underwood pickup. The input mix can only be controlled from the source- like your computer's speaker volume control. Once it's all set, it seems like this may be my new go-to practice tool. And for the road, it's perfect. I'll pick up a good Alkaline battery to see how it does with one.
For now, it is a positive review. For $28.00, it's unbeatable.
Click to expand...
So glad you're diggin' it! :thumbsup:
 
#16
LHbassist said:
O.K. Firstly, Alto Music, is WAY cool. I shipped it back, and it was supposed to be ther Monday. I don't know if they received it yet- but here it is, Tuesday, and I have a replacement!
I made a mistake with the first unit. I did not try a new battery, I used the one sent with the unit. 'Motorboat'- 'tremolo' effect in all volume settings. Well, before I tried the replacement unit- I put the battery on a volt meter. 9.53 volts. Should be o.k., right? I installed it, and ran the unit. Nope. The unit made the SAME weird noises. And I decided to see if perhaps it would run o.k. with a 9v Boss power adapter. It does. No issues. So, maybe I need an alkaline battery for it.. but it should be noted, for anyone wanting one, that the battery may not be viable to power it.
Now, to the review. This thing sounds GREAT! I used a Boss GEB-7 EQ, and both my Gibson Thunderbird with EMG's, and my upright with a Fishman Full Circle and an Underwood pickup. The input mix can only be controlled from the source- like your computer's speaker volume control. Once it's all set, it seems like this may be my new go-to practice tool. And for the road, it's perfect. I'll pick up a good Alkaline battery to see how it does with one.
For now, it is a positive review. For $28.00, it's unbeatable.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the review

So, not hissy, can get reasonably loud, decent tone?
 
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